(1) Lots of red-hot,
creative “garage rock.” (2) More people finally waking up to the idea that
environmental issues are real, and of critical importance.

Most Annoying Trend/Whatever

)1)”Dream Pop” – although
there’s hope the trend is fading. (2) Women who sound like little girls; anyone
who ends sentences with that whiny, question-mark lilt. (3) Bashing President
Obama without seeing or understanding a byzantine jungle of problems, created
by at least several previous terms of political decisions, with which he’s
confronted – and without getting it that change… takes… time…

Most Fucked Up

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico

Best New Artists

Lake Street Dive, Heavy Hawaii,
White Noise Sound

Worst New Artist

(not completely new, but
still just awful in relation to the buzz he’s generated): The Love Language

Best New Artist with Worst Name

Male Bonding

Desert Island Bliss: Artist You’d Like to be Stuck on an Island With

Danny Kirwan and the
entire Future Games/Bare Trees posse,
The Beatles, John Cage, The Ramones, Anita O’Day, The Hot Club of Cowtown,
and/or The Skatalites

Desert Island Dick: Artist You’d Most Like NOT to be Stuck
on an Island With

(…
man, I really didn’t see very many movies this year… at least Black Swan, True
Grit and Tron Legacy await….)

Best Record Label

Merge

Coolest Trend/Whatever

More
“heritage” artists, particularly those from the 80s, making records as good or
nearly as good as their classics, proving they’re more than nostalgia acts.
Examples: Hoodoo Gurus, Stan Ridgway, the Choir, New Model Army, Jason &
the Scorchers, Steve Wynn (admittedly he’s been pretty consistent about this
over the years), even Hawkwind.

Most Annoying Trend/Whatever

Mash-ups

Most Fucked Up

Mark
Linkous’ suicide

Best New Artist(s)

The
Devils Blood

The
DomNicks

Debbie
Duveen & the Millbanks

The
Gilded Palace of Sin

The
Mighty Grasshoppers

The
Mynabirds

North Atlantic Oscillation

Worst New Artist

I
didn’t listen to anybody I thought sucked long enough to know who the crappy
new artists were this year.

Best New Artist With
Worst Name

The
Mighty Grasshoppers

Sex Object Of the Year

Laura
Burhenn of the Mynabirds

Clear Channel Presents:
Corporate Asshole of the Year

I
didn’t pay enough attention to the business side of music this year. Can I just
say Irving Azoff on general principle?

Desert Island
Bliss: Artist You’d Like to be Stuck on an Island
With

Esperanza
Spalding

Desert Island
Dick: Artist You’d Most Like NOT to be Stuck on an Island
With

Kanye
West

On Facebook and/or
Twitter?

FB
originally to keep up with friends who’s recently been laid off – now it’s a
tool to get the word out about pieces I have online. Twitter is mainly a day
job thing.

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JAZZ ALERT!

THE BLURT JAZZ DESK IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS! Announcing our newest department, which we hope will intrigue, enthuse, energize and - if we do our job correctly - even aggravate and prompt a back-and-forth dialogue. Go HERE for full details, along with direct links to exclusive content.Installment #1: Herbie Mann, reappraised.#2: New archival releases.#3: New releases.#4 Sonny Rollins interview.#5 MPS 180-gm vinyl reissues.